BCBU Cooperation Extended for 2016

16.03.2012

The regular session of the Rectors Forum of the Barents Cross Border University was held on March 13, 2012 in Rovaniemi (Finland). The main aim at the meeting of the heads of the Finnish and Russian universities was the discussion of moderm challenges that participating universities face, progress report for 2011, as well as summarizing interim results of project efficiency internal evaluation and negotiating further strategies of cooperation development.

During discussion, the importance of active utilization of other university networks resources has been highlighted. In this connection it is necessary to involve the University of the Arctic as an infrastructure for BCBU activities as it unites 136 universities in its structure, and, in total, about 1 million students throughout all Arctic territory.

It is obvious that the university is not only an educational center, but also a center of research activity. At present the situation is so that implementation of master's degree programmes alone has already become insufficient for the successful BCBU cooperation development, it is necessary now to focus on strengthening joint research activity. For this purpose it was offered to join the Research Council created within University of the Arctic with an official office in NArFU (Arkhangelsk, Russia) more intensively.

The rector of the University of Oulu Mr. Lauri Lajunen stressed that the cooperation should be advanced not only in the cross border direction, but also among participants in the same country. He also mentioned that it is vital to attract local government authorities and businesses interested in cooperation as providers of on-the-job training opportunities for master students of the programmes developed and realised in the consortium.

One more question which has been raised at the meeting of BCBU Rectors' Forum concerned the quality control of educational programmes and teaching as a whole.

On March 14, 2012 there was an official ceremony of signing cooperation agreement between the Russian and Finnish universities on master's degree programmes development in five main study areas which will be in force till 2016. On behalf of the rector of MSTU Natalia Anikeeva, the Head of International Cooperation Department, was authorized to sign the cooperation agreement. There were two other MSTU representatives who participated in working groups sessions, namely Elena Kalsina (Associate Professor (Docent), Ecology and Environmental Protection Department) and Maria Rozbitskaya (Associate Professor (Docent), Department of Social Work and Theology).

For further details about Barents Cross Border University visit the site: http://bcbu.oulu.fi